BG Performance Training

Absolute privilege to be able to work with this group of amazing ladies!

Super thankful go the opportunity to work as their strength and conditioning coach over the last couple of days and special thanks to for making it happen

Hoping all the best for this group as they head to Croatia in Feb for the World Cup

Prioritise your performance with a PRESEASON TRAINING PLAN and DOMINATE in the upcoming season by getting FITTER, FASTER and STRONGER with BG Performance Training

IN SEASON GYM:
Power Focus
- During the season, the focus of training is to promote on field performance, and to perform well you must be able to move fast and be powerful. Developing power during the season is great for performance as reduced muscle soreness, reduced fatigue and an increase in recruitment of fast twitch muscle fibres all promote sport performance
- Full body power movements are great for developing functional power output and transfers to your sport because you are always using your full body to generate power in any way possible. Full body exercises also improve coordination and how well you can move
- Improving agility, bounciness, and out right how fast you can move, all play massive roles in performance. In contact sports, being able to have late but fast footwork and body movements easily catch opponents off guard and gives you the advantage

Performance Priority
- As training load throughout the week increases and performance on game day is number one priority, gym training will focus on injury prevention, work ons and power development
- Compared to the off season, the volume in the gym will decrease not only in frequency but also per session, to ensure energy and focus is on team training and game day
- Minutes/load on game day will help determine your training for the following week. If you play a lot of minutes then your body needs time to recover for the next game hence gym training will be reduced, but if you play minimal to zero minutes then you can afford to get an extra gym session done

Train Hard
- Although focus is on game day and team trainings, getting in regular strength training (with reduced volume) will help with injury prevention and continuous progress
- In my opinion, there is no such thing as ‘maintaining’ during the season, you either progress or regress and your quality of gym training will determine what occurs and by how much
- Including necessary accessory and injury prevention lifts that are specific for your sport will help massively in continuous progress but more importantly keep you fit and healthy and playing the best you can

PRE SEASON GYM:
Functional Strength
- As we get stronger and hopefully gained muscle mass over the off season, it’s important we’re able to move well with our new body composition as we get closer to the season
- This can be achieved through the addition of sport specific movements that promote on field performance. As your team training load starts to increase, the focus of gym training is to be able to use your new strength on the field
- Although performance is the focus, we don’t want to lose gains made in the off season. It’s important to still lift heavy in compounds lifts to keep making progress but with reduced volume (amount of sets)

Power Development
- As pre season kicks off, your gym will focus on moving quickly and increasing power output. This should be built throughout the pre season too reduce risk of injury prior to the season
- 2 ways to train power is through moving weight fast and moving your body weight fast. An example of moving weight fast includes power cleans, push press, banded exercises etc and body weight movement refers to jumping, hopping, bounding, leaping etc
- As maximal sprinting load starts to increase, we want to promote fast movements through training powerful and fast in the gym

Performance Focus
- Gym training should keep you strong and robust, while also promoting performance in trainings and pre season fixtures/events. Train to be an athlete, not a gym freak
- It’s important to find a weekly gym schedule that gives you the most benefit for performance on game day. Pre season is the perfect time to find a weekly routine that balances progress and performance
- Although volume and time in the gym will decrease as you get closer to the season, the quality of your gym must increase to make the most of the sessions. Train to perform

OFF SEASON GYM:
Build Strength
- the off season is a great opportunity to lift heavy and increase numbers in compound lifts that relate to your sport. With reduced team training and no competition means more energy and time can be used in the gym
- Having a plan that includes 3-5 sets of 3-6 reps per strength exercise while leaving a maximum of 2 reps in reserve will ensure progress and numbers will increase
- A great way to build strength is through eccentric training. This is by loading the exercise with close too or more than your 1RM and only performing the eccentric part of an exercise (muscle lengthening) for 4-6sec. Important too note that a confident spotter is essential

Work Ons
- being able to review the season just finished and point out what areas need improving are essential for growth as an overall athlete
- After work ons have been established, your gym training should have a well thought out plan to improve these areas
- Although improving work ons is essential, it’s as important to keep progressing the areas you are good at. This will help to level up your athletic ability and I’m prove as athlete overall

Keep It Sport Specific
- Your gym plan should consist of exercises that will make you better in your sport to ensure you develop as an athlete
- With more time to train, it creates a good opportunity to train accessory exercises to become a more robust athlete alongside functional exercises to improve flexibility and improve athletic ability
- Trying out different types of training or exercises you enjoy will help to keep training fresh reducing the effects of boredom and burnout

Well done to for completing his first marathon and what a place to do it!

A while back Lane mentioned he had entered into his first marathon and wasn’t sure how to prep and train for it

After discussing his goals and lifestyle, we created a 12 week plan so he could optimise his training and come into the marathon feeling confident and ready to smash it

The plan consisted of long and short runs based around heart rate zones and his current pace at the time (which got faster) so it was specific to his ability and minimise the chance of over or under training

The plan also consisted of a tapering phase closer to the starting ho**er to ensure his body and energy was peaking on race day and complete his first marathon

Not only did the program include running, it also consisted of a structured and specific gym plan which focused on full body strength and power, but also nailing injury prevention and primer exercises so he could maximise his running days while also making gains in the gym

Training hard is all well and nice but is pointless without good recovery, so a simple recovery guideline was included to ensure he could optimise his rest days and get the most out of the training days

Once again congratulations for completing your first marathon and here’s to many more 🍻